The first way to do this is to eliminate word diet temporarily from your vocabulary. This is particularly important if you are breastfeeding. You should consider yourself on a journey toward healthy eating not dieting. Some women . will be able to breastfeed successfully without adding any extra calories to their diet. Be sure that you ask your physician before attempting this, as you don’t want to affect your milk supply.

So we are going to talk about creating a healthy eating plan to help you lose weight instead of a diet. Your motto from here on out should be to eat healthily. You can and you will lose weight if you adopt this strategy!

Let’s talk about some simple yet effective strategies for losing weight via a healthy eating plan.

Portion Size

Portions are out of control everywhere! People have simply gotten into habit of eating larger than normal sizes. Most restaurants now offer servings that are more well suited for three people than they are for one.

What can you do? If you eat out frequently first thing you should consider doing is having your waiter box up half of your meal. This will prevent you from overeating and allow you to enjoy your meal without having to worry about packing on extra pounds.

If you are cooking for yourself, keep this in mind: a proper portion of protein should be about size and depth of palm of your hand. So, if you want to cook a steak, consider a steak that is about size of your palm. Likewise, a serving of starchy carbohydrate should be about 1 cup, or about amount of your fist. Not very much when you think about it is it?

Fortunately you can be a little more liberal when it comes to vegetables. Eat all salad you want, BUT don’t pile on fatty dressing. Did you know just a tablespoon of your favorite dressing can pack on more than a hundred extra calories? Try asking for your dressing on side, this way you can control amount of dressing you will be adding to your salad. You can even dip a forkful of your salad into your dressing rather than pour it on top.

Other additions to traditional ‘salad’ that make it fattening include bacon bits, cheese and guacamole. Your traditional taco salad is typically loaded with fatty extras including sour cream. If you are a fan of taco salad, avoid eating shell at all costs and consider using salsa instead of ranch dressing, you’ll save several hundred calories.

Consume Enough Water

Many people believe that they are hungry when in reality they are thirsty. The body sometimes mistakes these two signals. If you think you might be hungry but have just recently eaten, consider having a large glass of water and waiting a few minutes.

Did you know that most people walk around in a state of dehydration? It is true. The best thing you can do to avoid this problem is drink at least eight large glasses of water per day (that is 8 to 10 oz of water per glass for all you that are counting!). If you feel thirsty, chances are you are already dehydrated to some extent.

Nursing women actually require more water than average woman. Triple this if you plan on working out and perspiring. What does this mean? You should basically plan on having a water bottle at your side at all times.

Not a fan of plain water? No problem! Consider spicing up your water with a squeeze of lemon, lime or even orange. There are also many sparkling waters that are available on market today.

Water can also help you lose weight when you drink water with your meals, which will help you feel fuller and help you eat less if you are trying to lose weight.

Add Fiber

Fiber is an important part of any diet. Most people aren’t eating enough fiber. Fiber is not only important for maintaining proper elimination, it helps keep your colon healthy and can help you lose weight!

Ok so fiber is important. What exactly is it? Fiber is basically roughage, or indigestible materials that are found in plants. It has no calories and your body doesn’t have ability to absorb it. High fiber foods can be either soluble or insoluble, meaning it can either be broken down and dissolved in water or not.

Both forms of fiber are actually very important to your health and digestive system. Fiber can help bulk up your bowel movements so that waste materials move through your body quickly and efficiently. This helps maintain your colon health and prevent constipation.

Fiber can also help regulate blood sugar and may help regulate blood cholesterol levels. An even better bonus? Fiber can help slow absorption of sugar after a meal, and help you feel fuller longer.

Generally high fiber foods are low in calories. They make you feel full faster. Here is a list of some excellent high fiber selections that you should consider adding to your diet:

High Fiber Foods

- Fruits

- Vegetables

- Beans

- Popcorn

- Brown Rice

- Whole Grains

- Wheat Bran

- Psyllium

- Barley

- Oatmeal

- Prunes

How can you tell if you are consuming enough fiber on a day to day basis? You should try to eat at least 20-35 grams of fiber per day. Most people don’t get even half of this amount in their daily diet.

One problem most new mothers will report is that they don’t feel that they have enough time to exercise after birth. This is a complaint among just about anyone who has ever attempted to set up a routine exercise program, not just women who have given birth!

While it is true that taking care of your newborn should be first and foremost in your mind, it is also important that you set aside time for your own health and well being. This includes setting aside enough time to engage in routine exercise. Finding time may be as simple as blocking off a certain number of hours during day to work out.

If you are having trouble finding time to exercise, there are a number of things you can do to ensure that you stick with some type of exercise routine:

Set aside a specific time every day to exercise. Even if you just set aside 10 minutes of time in morning, your body will benefit from regular exercise. Remember that stretching, yoga and other forms of activity are also considered exercise, and will help your body return to its pre-pregnancy shape much more quickly.